By Turkistan Times Staff
July 29, 2026
Former World Uyghur Congress (WUC) President and prominent activist Dolkun Isa was barred from entering Morocco and deported shortly after arriving at Casablanca’s airport on July 20. Isa had traveled to the country to attend the International Religious Freedom Summit, a regional conference dedicated to freedom of religion or belief, when Moroccan authorities intercepted him at immigration control.
According to reports by Moroccan news outlet Yabiladi and Asian News International (ANI), Isa was subjected to secondary screening and detained for approximately 15 hours overnight with little explanation before being placed on a flight back to Germany. Moroccan immigration officials handed Isa an official notice from the Ministry of Interior and the General Directorate of National Security stating that a decision prohibiting his entry into Moroccan territory was active against him.
The World Uyghur Congress strongly condemned the action, describing it as part of a alarming, broader pattern of transnational repression targeting Uyghur human rights defenders. Responding to his entry denial, Isa stated, "I believed I would be able to travel to Morocco to attend a religious freedom conference without difficulty, but once again I was proved wrong," as quoted in the WUC press release reported by ANI.
This incident follows previous actions by Moroccan authorities against Uyghur activists. In July 2021, Moroccan authorities arrested Uyghur activist Idris Hasan (also known as Yidiresi Aishan) at Casablanca’s airport based on an Interpol Red Notice issued at China’s request, which accused him of terrorism due to his civil rights work. Although Interpol cancelled the notice in August 2021, a Moroccan court approved his extradition to China in December 2021. After spending 43 months in detention, Moroccan authorities finally released Idris Hasan on February 12, 2025, allowing him to resettle in the United States two days later.
As highlighted in ANI's report, the WUC pointed out that an Interpol Red Notice issued against Dolkun Isa in 1997—based on allegations submitted by Beijing—was similarly deleted in 2018 following years of advocacy by human rights lawyers and international organizations. Despite its cancellation, the persistent consequences of Beijing’s political lobbying continue to obstruct his international travel. Over the years, Isa has faced visa cancellations, entry denials, questioning, and detentions in several nations, including South Korea, India, and Türkiye, and was previously barred from entering United Nations premises in New York and Geneva during accredited meetings.
The WUC noted that the timing of this recent deportation is particularly concerning, coming just weeks after Article 63 of China's new Ethnic Unity Law came into force. Although there is no public proof that Moroccan officials acted directly under Chinese legislation, human rights advocates highlight that Isa’s detention demonstrates the urgent need for international governments to reject Beijing's attempts to export politically motivated repression beyond its borders.
In its official statement cited by both Yabiladi and ANI, the WUC demanded that the Moroccan government provide a clear explanation for Isa’s detention, clarify whether the decision was influenced by Chinese pressure or outdated security data, and remove any politically motivated records against him. Furthermore, the organization called on Germany, the European Union, the United Nations, and global human rights organizations to urgently raise the matter with Moroccan authorities and establish robust protections for Uyghur activists facing transnational repression.
